The idea of fertilizing the ocean with iron, an element essential for the growth of phytoplankton, is being considered as a climate change mitigation measure - when they die, phytoplankton take carbon
The idea of fertilizing the ocean with iron, an element essential for the growth of phytoplankton, is being considered as a climate change mitigation measure - when they die, phytoplankton take carbon into the deep ocean.
However, concerns have been raised about large scale intentional iron fertilization that may limit its effectiveness as a carbon dioxide removal strategy. A major one is nutrient robbing where iron added to one part of the ocean decreases nutrients that would have supported ecosystems (and natural carbon sequestration) elsewhere.
Nick Hawco, assistant professor at the University of Hawai‘i, is part of a team evaluating the potential for deliberate iron fertilization of the ocean, but he’s also researching an unintentional iron fertilization ‘experiment’ that has been on-going for decades.
Hawco is lead author of a new study that has revealed that iron released from coal combustion and steel making in East Asia is altering the ecosystem in the North Pacific Transition Zone, a region just north of Hawai‘i that is important for fisheries in the Pacific.
Water and phytoplankton samples have now been studied during four different expeditions to the region.
The team found that the unintentional iron fertilization means that phytoplankton in the region are
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